


The Viscount of the Orihara Estate

by Kittycatkyla23



Series: Red Riding Hood Is Wearing Black [4]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fire, Gen, Murder, One Shot, Pre-Established Relationships, Revenge, Vampires, Werewolves, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-10 18:15:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20856119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittycatkyla23/pseuds/Kittycatkyla23
Summary: In the wake of Hibiya's death, only revenge will ensue. And what better justice for a Holy Order that burns innocent people at the stake than to burn every church Orihara Izaya can come across? Even the one that Shizuo resides in.





	The Viscount of the Orihara Estate

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to read The Red Riding Hood Series in chronological order, read The Tragic Love of Romeo and Dracula and this after you read chapter 22 of The Wretched Journey.

“Hey, Shiki-san.” Shizuo said.

“Hm?”

“That guys been sitting in the pews for nearly two hours just praying. Should we check on him?”

“Who?”

Shizuo stepped out of the hall to point at a blond individual. At first glance, Shizuo had thought it was his packmate Rubi. But he knew that wasn’t possible. Rubi was currently in Taiwan with the rest of Shizuo’s packmates. They’d been there for nearly a year now.

Along with the poor kidnapped Tsukishima, who Hachimenroppi had stolen away this time last year. The blond priest still felt guilt for failing the teenager. He had tried to protect Tsuki. He separated the two and had full intention to take Tsuki to the church where he would be safe. The only reason Shizuo failed was because of the Holy Order that crawled all over his sanctuary.

These dastardly men. Shizuo was not a fan of the so-called Holy Order. They were more violent than passionate. They had put far more innocent individuals to the stake than monsters. These people were not one with God. They were just using Him as a means to enact villainy. And the worse of it was not even the priests could say anything against them. The people believed in the Holy Order because of the few results they had gained. They had the Pope’s blessing, after all. There was nothing anyone could do.

Because of that, Shizuo had feared bringing Tsukishima to the church would just sentence the teen to death. He had left Tsuki within capable hands, however. The man who saved Shizuo’s life on quite a few occasions, at the expense of his own suffering. Shizuo was certain that Orihara Izaya would have kept Tsuki safe.

However, an unforeseen circumstance that neither Shizuo nor Izaya could have expected happened. It was the only reason they failed to protect Tsukishima. Kishitani Shinra was nearly killed by the Holy Order. He was a close friend to Izaya as well as the lover to a close friend of Shizuo’s, Celty. Shinra had fallen in love with Celty, a dullahan, many years ago and the two had been married for years now. The envoy of death even separated herself from her own head so that she could remain on the mortal plain with Shinra. Their relationship could never be known, else Shinra would have been persecuted as a witch for making love to death itself. However, somehow, the Holy Order stumbled across Celty and Shinra’s home. The sight of the headless woman sparked a violent reaction from the ‘holy’ men.

Izaya—the vampire who had drank from Shinra a few times so they would always be bonded there after—went to their aide, leaving Tsukishima alone in the manor. When Izaya returned, the whole pack was gone. Neither him or Shizuo have seen them since. They had no doubt escaped from Japan to Taiwan, like many other monsters have been doing in the wake of this Holy Order. That had been the original plan, after all.

For that reason, the likelihood that the person bend down in the pews with his face in his tented hands was Rubi were slim. Not only would Rubi not enter a church, he had no company with him. That doctor, Toudaimoto, seemed to always be by Rubi’s side. There was no one else in the church except soldiers and priests.

“He has blond hair like Shizuo-senpai.” Vorona stated. The nun leaned against Shizuo to peer at the man. “Mayhaps he’s another thrall.”

“No,” Shiki said. “If he was a thrall, his hair wouldn’t be pure blond like that. His roots would be showing like Shizuo’s.”

“Whoever he is, the Holy Order guys aren’t messing with him.” Shizuo pointed at the soldiers.

A few of the men kept looking at the blond. They’d glare but said and did nothing. They all gave him a wide girth.

“Should we talk to him?” Shizuo looked at Shiki.

The black-haired priest was silent for a long moment, scrutinizing the stranger. “Yeah. Offer him a confession. He seems upset.”

Shizuo nodded. “Okay.”

The blond priest stepped out of the hall into the open room. He walked over to the occupied pew.

“Hello.”

The stranger jolted. He looked up. Shizuo felt a jolt of surprise course through him.

** _‘He looks like Tsukishima.’_ **

The resemblance was uncanny. Especially since this person’s eyes were swollen and red from crying. The only difference was he was a little older, with a sharper jawline. He also had pink iris’s instead of red ones.

“Um…hi.” The stranger glanced to the side, rubbing the tears from his eyes. “I don’t really need anything, so—”

“Are you sure? Not even a confession?” Shizuo pointed to the confession box behind him.

The strange blond looked at him. Then at the box. “I…” He glanced to the side. “I’m not sure this is something I can share. There’s too many Holy Order soldier’s…”

Shizuo immediately felt suspicious. **_‘Is he a werewolf maybe? Would explain the natural blond.’_**

“Well, how about that one?” Shizuo pointed to a confession box across the room in the corner by the hall. There were no soldiers around that one. “It’s more private.”

The person looked at the box. He then casted his eyes to the ground in defeat and let out a sigh. “Okay.”

Shizuo smiled reassuringly. The blond stood and Shizuo guided him to the confession box. The stranger stepped in. Shizuo glanced at Shiki. The older priest nodded. Shizuo stepped in right after him. The two sat down.

“So…what?” The stranger chuckled. “Do I say, ‘forgive me father for I have sin’ and go from there?”

“You can if you want to, but you don’t have to. Do what makes you feel comfortable talking to God.”

The stranger scoffed. “There’s no such thing as God.”

“Why come to a church if you don’t believe then?”

“I…heh, I’ve done worse than that. I joined the Holy Order when I don’t believe in God.”

Shizuo eyes narrowed. **_‘He’s a soldier too.’_**

“I…” The stranger lifted his head. Shizuo could barely see him through the black mesh that separated them. “I come from a rath over the eastern mountains.”

Shizuo stiffened. **_‘That’s Tsuki’s rath.’_**

“There was a werewolf in that rath. It terrorized us long before I was born. Long story short, my town came to an agreement that we’d sacrifice our best livestock so he wouldn’t target the people as food. Last year, around this time, the wolf came. He said he didn’t want livestock. He wanted a ‘ruby eyed’ sacrifice.”

Shizuo clenched his fist. This story was familiar to him. He had heard it before. This was the same tale Tsukishima had told him nearly a year ago.

“My brother…you probably noticed I look strange. I’m an alibino. It runs in the family. It skipped my dad’s generation, but me and by brothers have it. My older brother had blue eyes, I have pink eyes, and my little brother…my little Tsukishima…he had red eyes.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened. **_‘He’s Tsuki’s brother? Oh no…’_**

“The town came to an agreement to offer Tsuki up as the sacrifice. I was against it. I should have fought harder for him. I tried to convince Tsuki to run away with me. I didn’t…I didn’t want my brother to die but we were all scared…” His voice became thick with emotions. He paused to swallow them down. “I should have forced Tsuki to run away with me. I should have carried him, even if he was kicking and screaming, away from the damnable rath. They so quickly turned their backs on him! This is all their fault!”

Shizuo’s eyes narrowed. This man was grieving and angry—rightfully so, however he was angry at the wrong people.

“It is not the fault of the people.” Shizuo said in a soothing voice. “They had women, children, and infants they had to take care of. The one to blame is the werewolf that started all this.”

“…I know. I know, but I just…” The man clenched his teeth and let out an angry ‘tch’. “The werewolf didn’t kill my brother than night. Usually, the wolf would kill the sacrifice then carry it away. But it didn’t do that. Tsuki was alive and screaming when he carried him off. As soon as dawn came, I set out after the beast. Some friends of mine, Kadota and Yumasaki,”

**_‘The Blue Squares runaways.’ _**Shizuo knew them.

“Came with me. We found evidence that Tsuki was alive. Tsuki had asked to be shackled to the stump we used for offering our livestock. He was scared he would lose his courage and run away so he wanted the shackle so he couldn’t.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened. **_‘I didn’t know that. Oh, Tsuki. You noble soul.’_**

“The wolf broke the chain when he carried him away. We found the beasts cave and the shackle was there. It wasn’t broken off; it was picked. Tsuki didn’t know how to pick locks so it had to have been someone else. After joining the Holy Order, I learned that werewolves could turn into humans, but I didn’t know that at the time. Guess that doesn’t matter now. Anyway, I knew Tsuki was alive, so I kept going. I went down the mountain by myself, following the tracks in the snow.”

**_‘You’re a good brother.’ _**A bittersweet smile crept on Shizuo’s face.

“I ended up getting found by the Holy Order. A guy name Kuzuhara vouched for me and took me into the Order. Since then, I’ve been using the Order’s resources to try and find my brother. It’s been a year and I still…I haven’t found him…I don’t even know if he’s alive anymore…I just…”

The blond tilted his head down. Shizuo heard gentle sobbing.

Shizuo felt his heart clenched. **_‘I…I should tell him the truth. Tsukishima is—I don’t know if Tsukishima is alive though. If Roppi got angry and accidently killed him…I don’t know…’_**

The blond inhaled deeply then exhaled. He regained his composure and cleared his throat.

** _‘He’s still apart of the Holy Order. If I tell him, I’ll expose myself as a werewolf.’_ **

“About nine months ago, I met a man. A beautiful man. His name was Hibiya.”

Shizuo’s brows rose. **_‘Hibiya? As in Izaya’s brother? No, ‘Hibiya’ is a common name.’_**

“I…I’m gay.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened.

“I realized when I was thirteen that I didn’t like girls. But I also knew that lusting for men was a sin. I don’t believe in God, but I believe the church would kill me if it ever came to light my sexuality.”

** _‘If you’re scared of religious persecution then why are you telling a priest this? Is it…have you given up on life?’_ **

“I met Hibiya. He was so kind to me and so confident. He seduced me so easily. I told him my secret and we started a sexual relationship. I…I really loved him. He was…so beautiful. So perfect. I loved him so much. Two weeks ago, we got into a stupid argument. I had shared my secret with him, but he still had a secret he hadn’t told me. The next day, he showed me. He…showed me his wings.”

** _‘Wings?’_ **

“He was a vampire. Or…a dhampir. His mother was a human, but his father was a vampire is what he said.”

** _‘…That’s not a coincidence. This has to be Izaya’s brother. But wait, dhampir’s only sprout wings if they drink human blood before they hit puberty. Izaya said Hibiya never drank blood. He shouldn’t have had wings.’_ **

“I…I was overtaken by rage. I thought he had been toying with me this entire time. I thought…I thought he was laughing at me. I had been searching for my brother, who was stolen by a monster, so desperately for a year. And this whole time, Hibiya was a monster. Seeing a blood cow struggling must have been so funny for him to watch. That’s what I thought. So, I…I turned Hibiya into the Holy Order.”

Shizuo jolted. **_‘No. No, tell me you didn’t!’_**

“I regretted it almost as soon as I did it. I-I—Hibiya trusted me, and I betrayed him! I know I shouldn’t be so sad over a fucking vampire!” The man was sobbing now, his voice thick with tears. “He was a monster, like the beast that took my brother! He was just another monster! But I feel so guilty! Every time I close my eyes, I see his face! The look of betrayal on his face as they burnt him at the stake! I did that! I was the one who did that to him! He loved me, he honestly loved me, and I killed him!”

The blond bent forward, burying his face in his hands.

“I don’t know what to do anymore! I don’t know what’s right or wrong anymore! He was a monster, but we…we were happy…And I threw it all away. Hibiya…”

**_‘What have you done?’ _**Shizuo stared at the sobbing man wide-eyed.

The blond looked up. He stared at the priest through the mesh. “What should I have done? What am I supposed to believe now?”

** _‘Izaya. I need to go see Izaya.’_ **

“The world was black and white before! Good and evil! Human, not human! But it’s not like that anymore.”

** _‘He might do something rash. I need to make sure he’s okay.’_ **

“What am I supposed to do now?”

** _‘Oh, god. He’s going to…his agreement with the church. I have to finish this and go see Izaya.’_ **

“I…” Shizuo cleared his throat. “I can’t tell you what you should have done. You have already made the decision and you must live with the consequences of your actions. What you should believe…I think you should believe in what is right, regardless of what other people say. You should leave the judging of others to God himself. God will punish those accordingly. Whether they are monster or human is not the question, but what have they done in their life up to his point. If say, they were a vampire that never drank human blood, only drank chicken or pig’s blood, then is he truly a monster? I think…especially with your own appearance, you should look at the personality and character of the person and not what they look like or what they are. As for what you should do now…I think this is a conversation that God can’t help you with.”

“Wh-what? What do you mean? You’re a priest—you—”

“What are you willing to do to find your brother?”

“I…I’ll do anything to bring Tsuki back safe and sound.”

“Even if that means working with monsters?”

“…I…I guess so…If that’s what I need to do…”

“Then this is not a conversation that God can have with you.”

“But I—”

“However, I can help you.”

The stranger jolted. “You-you can?!”

Shizuo smiled at him reassuringly. He opened his mouth to respond.

Something crashed loudly within the chapel. The two blondes jolted, their eyes going wide. Shizuo left the box first, followed closely by the stranger. The wooden church doors had been slammed open full-force with enough power to crack the wood. One would expect an army to come stomping through, however only one man entered. A small man with black hair, dressed in black clothes with a blood red cloak around his biceps.

The stranger’s eyes stretched wide. “Hi-Hibiya?”

“Izaya…” Shizuo stiffened with newfound fear.

The stranger looked up at Shizuo in confusion. “What?”

“That’s Hibiya’s older brother.” Shizuo clenched his teeth.

“Who the hell are you?!” A Holy Order soldier called.

The soldiers all scrambled forward, pulling out their weapons. Izaya’s russet eyes flicked across the crowd.

“Orihara-san?” Shiki rushed out of the hall, followed closely by Vorona, Tom, and Akabayashi. “What’s the matter? What’s the meaning of this?”

“Wait, you _know _this intruder, Father?” A man asked—this man was one of the generals of the Holy Order. His name was Shijima Hiroto. Younger than Shiki, however, he had far more authority than the experienced priest at the moment.

“I could ask you the same thing, Shiki-san.” Izaya smiled, walking down the center of the pews towards them. “See, I thought we had an agreement.”

One soldier rushed over to grab Izaya. The raven didn’t even look at him as he swiped his hand in his direction. Fire erupted from his fingertips, casting the man in flames instantly. The man screamed and fell away, falling on one of the wooden pews.

“He’s a witch!” Someone called.

“Oh no…” Shizuo felt his chest grow heavy with fear.

“I act as your informant to the monstrous side of this world. I expose monsters who deserve to be put down and help you hunt them. I betray my own kind for the sake of humanity. And all I asked in return is that my son and my brother be spared of persecution.”

“You!” Shijima glared at Shiki with rage. “You would make such a deal with a heretic?”

“So, tell me, Shiki-san,” Black wings came out from under the cloak, flaring out to display their full glory. “WHY IS IT THAT HIBIYA WAS TURNED INTO A PILE OF ASH?!”

“VAMPIRE!”

The holy men charged.

“Izaya, wait!” Shizuo rushed forward.

“Shizuo, no!” Tom grabbed the blonde’s sleeve. The dark-skinned man was shrugged off instantly.

The blond priest punched the soldier closest to Izaya before standing in front of the raven. He held his hands out as a block, pushing Izaya back towards the door ever so slightly.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

“What’s going on here?!” A voice rushed down the hall before Awakusu Mikiya and Awakusu Dougen—bishop of the area—entered the chapel.

“Please, listen to me!” Shizuo called. “Izaya has been a worthy asset to the church! A vampire he may be, but he doesn’t drink human blood! He never has! And he’s aided us on many hunts throughout the years!”

“I aide the church no longer.” Izaya growled. “You murdered my brother! To think ones who would call themselves envoys of God would betray their agreement no different than the Devil himself!”

“Did you know about this, Awakusu?!” Shijima turned on the holy man.

“Don’t you dare talk to me in such a tone, boy! I am the bishop of the eastern quadrisect!”

“And I have direct authority from the Pope to charge all those who are guilty! You answer to me now! I order you!” Shijima turned. “All of you! Capture that vampire!”

“No, wait!” Shizuo called. “You don’t understand! Izaya isn’t evil!”

“And you, how are you able to defend that cretin?”

“He’s not a cretin!”

“You are a traitor against humanity!”

“I’m not a traitor!”

“That blond hair—I always thought there was something wrong with you! You’re a thrall, aren’t you?!”

“I…”

“You’re a vile pet of a vampire! I should have persecuted you the moment I laid eyes on you!”

“Izaya saved my life!”

“He just wanted an easy slave to feed off of!”

“Izaya can’t feed off of me! We—”

“Enough of this! Seize them both!”

Shizuo jolted. “No, please, you have to listen to me!”

“They’re not going to, Shizu-chan.” Izaya smiled, although his eyes were deep pools of boiling hatred. “The church doesn’t understand what’s right in this world. All they know is if something’s different, then it must be eliminated.”

The holy soldiers charged. Izaya responded by sweeping in front of Shizuo, flaring his arm out at three of the assailants. The three lit up in flames instantly, along with the adjacent pews. The wood burst into flames while the holy men screamed in agony. Izaya’s fingertips turned black with charred flesh.

“Izaya, stop!” Shizuo turned, grabbing the raven. “We can’t—aagh!”

The blond was tugged away by two soldiers. They hooked their arms under Shizuo’s and dragged him away.

“Let me go! You guys, listen to me!” The blond struggled.

He easily jerked out of their hold. With an inhuman strength that caught the soldier’s by surprise, Shizuo threw one across the room and the other into two soldier’s who were coming up behind Izaya.

“Shizuo, stop!” Shiki rushed over, accompanied by Akabayashi. The two hunters grabbed Shizuo.

“But, Izaya—”

“Come away, before he lights you on fire!”

Shizuo didn’t struggle against his superiors as they pulled him back towards the hallway to stand next to the blond stranger.

“You turned my brother into ash!” Izaya called, jumping on top of one of the pews. His wings flared and he was soon airborne. “So, I’ll turn this whole damn church into ash and everyone in it!”

“Izaya, stop!” Shizuo called.

Fire came from Izaya’s hand, all ten digits a grotesque black. He threw the flames underneath himself, the wooden floor becoming ablaze instantly. Many of the soldiers dodged out of the way. Some had unfortunately bad reflexes and were caught in the inferno. Izaya smiled all the same. He then brought his hands out to his sides. He twirled in the air as if dancing, spewing fire away from him like a hose.

The smile left the vampires face as he jolted forward in the air. An arrow had been fired, piercing through his back and coming out the front, just left of his sternum. Such a wound wouldn’t kill a full-fledge vampire like Izaya, however, it wasn’t any less painful to be shot. Izaya flapped his wings hard to steady himself before turning. He glared down at Shijima, who held a crossbow. Fire flared around his fingertips once again. His once pale hand had turned completely black with charred flesh.

Then Izaya’s eyes widened. He teetered precariously as one wing stopped moving for a moment. He quickly flapped his wings furiously. He grabbed the arrowhead and pulled the weapon out of his body.

“Dead man’s blood?” Izaya acknowledged, dropping the arrow as his hands started shaking.

Shizuo’s eyes stretched wide with horror. “No…Kr, Shiki-san, let me go!”

Izaya was losing strength instantly. His wings would stop moving and he would plummet for a few seconds before he struggled to move his limbs. Izaya flew himself away from the flames he had left on the floor. His wings finally gave away as he hovered over the confession box. He slammed into the cubical hard, letting out a groan of pain. The soldier’s made haste pulling him down and slamming him onto the floor.

Four men held Izaya down, one on each limb. Shijima walked over, glaring down at the vampire like he was some disgusting filth.

Izaya started to chuckle. The chuckle grew into wild laughter. “AHAHAHAHA! And you call yourself holy men, haha! You violated the sanctity of a corpse to get the only thing that can poison a vampire! You’re not one with God! Admit it, you just enjoy murdering, don’t y---HLGHKPH!”

Shijima shoved the tip of his shoe into Izaya’s mouth hard, hard enough that Shizuo was certain he had broken his teeth.

“Don’t believe the words of this devil.” Shijima smiled sadistically as he forced his shoe further and further into Izaya’s mouth.

“Stop it!” Shizuo called. “You’re hurting him!”

Shijima chuckled. “If you’re worried about what I’m doing now, just wait till we have to prep him for the stake. But first, we have business to attend to.”

The general knelt down. He grabbed Izaya by his hair and tugged the raven up. The soldier’s released; Izaya’s limbs were limp against the floor.

“Now tell us, where’s this ‘son’ you mentioned earlier?”

Izaya spat blood on Shijima’s cheek. The general dropped Izaya, his head thudding against the wooden floor hard, as he wiped his cheek.

Izaya chuckled. “You’re a simpleton and a fool.”

Shijima glared. “We’ll see if you can say that after a session with Earthworm.”

The general stood up. He looked around. “Someone put out these fires already! Bury the dead! You lot,” he gestured to the men who had held Izaya down, “take him down to Earthworm! You,” He pointed to Shiki, “lock that thrall up where he can’t cause any more problems!”

“No, wait!” Shizuo called.

Shiki tugged on his arm harshly. “Come along, Shizuo.”

“No, Shiki—”

“Come on, Heiwajima.” Mikiya ushered the group towards the hall. “There’s nothing we can do.”

“But—waaah!” Akabayashi slouched down and wrapped his arm around Shizuo’s waist. The red head stood straight, the faux-blond hoisted over his shoulder. “A-A-Aka—”

“Oh, and Delic!” Shijima called.

The stranger jolted, staring over at the general.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you standing around doing nothing! I’ll deal with you later, for now, get out of my sight!”

The blond didn’t respond. He cast his gaze toward Izaya as he clenched his teeth. The confliction on his expression was obvious.

“Don’t be stupid, son.” Dougen patted Delic on the shoulder. “Come with us for now.”

Delic glared at the ground but didn’t put up resistance. The group of priests walked down the hall.

“Akabayashi, let me go!” Shizuo didn’t struggle because he didn’t want to hurt his mentor. “We have to help him!”

“We can’t help him, Shizuo.” The red-head said.

“No, we can! We outnumber them! We—”

“Something like that would be treason against the Pope.” Dougen said. “It’s straight suicide.”

Shizuo clenched his teeth. “You were the one who told me that all bad men need in order to succeed is for good men to do nothing! We all know this Holy Order is full of shit! Izaya’s right! They’re not one with God! They’re just murderers!”

“Until the Pope understands that,” Shiki spoke in a solemn voice. “There’s nothing we can do.”

The group turned into a room. They all filed in, Akabayashi first and Mikiya last.

“I’m sorry, Shizuo.” Tom said, looking at his blond friend in sorrow. “There’s just nothing we can do.”

“I—!” Akabayashi put Shizuo down. The blonde’s legs couldn’t support him, so he sat down on the floor. “We, we have to! We have to do _something_…”

“This is all my fault.” Delic muttered. His eyes were wide, and he was shaking like a leaf, hugging himself. “What have I done? What have I—”

“It’s not your fault!” Shizuo yelled at the blond. The younger man jolted. “It’s those bastards! No, it’s Roppi’s fault! If Roppi never kidnapped Tsukishima, you never…”

Delic’s eyes stretched wide.

“Kidnapped?” Shiki stared at Shizuo.

“What are you talking about, Shizuo?” Akabayashi questioned.

“Wait, you mean Tsukishima? Delic’s brother, Tsukishima?” Tom asked.

“You-you know who took my brother?!” Delic rushed forward. “Where is he?! Is Tsuki alright?!”

“I don’t know! I—Krh!” Shizuo tilted his head down in frustration.

** _‘We have to do something! But what can we do? We can’t betray the Pope, the very foundation of the church! Shiki-san, Dougen-sama. They’ll all get burnt at the stake if they try to help a vampire!’_ **

“Where did he take my brother?!” Delic grabbed Shizuo’s bicep. “Tell me! Where’s Tsukishima?!”

**_‘There’s nothing they can do…But there’s something _**I **_can do…’_**

The blond reached for the cross around his neck. However, it wasn’t there. It took him a moment to remember he gave it to Tsukishima a year ago. That cross had always given him peace when he was faced with a hard decision. He grabbed the shirt over his chest instead. He clenched his teeth, his fists.

** _‘I have to! For Izaya! I…I was his thrall after all.’_ **

Shizuo looked up. He looked at all his superiors; the people who had nurtured him, supported him, and helped him throughout the years. His closest friends and the only family he had. People he cherished dearly in his heart.

Shizuo’s brows furrowed in sorrow. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Shiki’s eyes widened.

“What do you me—” Akabayashi’s words fell away as Shizuo pushed Delic away harshly, the blond colliding in the red-heads legs.

In the next moment, the bones all throughout Shizuo’s body began to pop and crack. The blond sat on his hands and knees, head tilted down and eyes closed. He pictured a wolf in his mind. A wolf with brown fur along the roots and blond towards the end. An angular snout, black claws, black nose, and brown eyes. Shizuo’s form shook before he groaned in pain.

Shizuo’s body began to contort grotesquely. The bones popped and expanded under his skin. The clothes around him became tight as they started shrinking around his growing form. The clothes tore and ripped, in it’s place the fur Shizuo had pictured began to sprout. He dug his nails into the ground, and they tore off from his fingertips. He gasped in pain as claws sprouted to replace them.

Shizuo’s organs shifted inside of him. Excruciating pain encased him from the sensation. He called out in agony, his voice devolving into the howl of a wolf as the bottom half of his face elongated into a powerful snout filled with sharp teeth.

Shizuo was no long a human. But a wolf, bigger than any timber wolf anyone had ever seen. He nearly filled up the whole room, his companions rushing to the corners, so they didn’t get hit with his thrashing. His clothes were nothing more than tatters on the floor now.

“A-a werewolf…” Delic muttered. “A werewolf…that was a priest?”

Shizuo glanced over. He made eye contact with Tom—his best friend. Tom was staring at his wide-eyed in disbelief. That look caused sorrow to fill Shizuo’s chest.

The door opened. “Hey, what the hell is going on in her—WEREWOLF!”

Shizuo stared at the holy soldier. His lip pulled back in a snarl before he lunged forward. He barely fit through the door, his shoulders slamming into the door frames and breaking the wood. Jaws wide, he closed his teeth over the soldier. The man screamed as Shizuo forced him to the ground and began thrashing wildly, burying his teeth deep within the man’s flesh. The soldier was dead in seconds.

Shizuo dropped the man and turned down the hall. He dug his claws into the wood and ran back towards the chapel.

The werewolf burst into the open space, digging his claws in deep to stop himself. The soldiers were in the process of binding Izaya. They all looked up, their eyes stretching wide with surprise.

“Wer-werewolf!”

“How the hell did a werewolf get in here!”

Shizuo rushed forward. The soldier’s leaped away, all drawing their swords. The blond didn’t care about them, though. He dived down, mouth open wide. He scooped the limp Izaya up—the dead man’s blood in his veins taking full affect and causing rigor mortis—and held him between his teeth.

Two men charged at Shizuo from behind, blades drawn in a swing. The wolf couldn’t see them, but he could hear them. He turned his head just in time to find out exactly where they were. He leaned forward on his front paws and swung his back feet out in a powerful kick. He felt both their rib cages cave under his mighty feet before they were flung back. They slammed against the wall with enough force to bend the wood.

“It’s that damn priest!” Shijima called as he pointed his crossbow.

“The priest, what?” One of the soldiers looked at him.

“He’s got the same pelt as that Heiwajima priest and he’s only concerned about the vampire!”

Shizuo didn’t stop to deal with him. He had to run, while he had a chance. Holy men swarmed him. They blocked the open front doors. The wolf pushed off the ground in a leap, jumping over the pews to stand where the fire had been put out. The floorboard creaked loudly. Shizuo gasped as the floorboards caved in under his weight.

** _‘The fire weakened the wood!’_ **

His front foot became stuck in the charred floor.

“Shoot its legs!” Shijima yelled. “Stop it from running!”

Arrows came flying down on Shizuo. The blond slammed his free front paw against the wood surrounding his trapped limb. The floorboards caved easily. Shizuo tugged his foot out, some blood and soot clinging to his pelt, and ran. Shizuo felt three arrows dig into his flesh. One in his shoulder and two in his hind legs. He called out in pain, although he kept his mouth shut so as not to drop Izaya. The howl echoed in his throat.

Shizuo tried his best to ignore the pain as he ran out of the church. He stepped on crisp white snow. Horses neighed in fear, pulling on their neighs to try and run from Shizuo. The blond decided to indulge the scared animals—less the soldier’s use them to chase him. He ran over to the horses and slammed his front paws into the posts. The wood snapped instantly, freeing the reigns. The horses ran likes bats out of hell.

“It chased the horses off!” Shijima yelled from the door way. “Fire! Shoot it!”

Men pulled back their bows and aimed. Shizuo ran across the open field to the stone wall surrounding the church. He leaped it in a single bound and ran into the forest.

“Follow it! Don’t let it escape!”

Shizuo had never enjoyed killing things while in this form. In his opinion, it wasn’t fair when he was twice the size of any game he could come across. He had always been against violence, even if it were for the sake of food. No, Shizuo wasn’t a hunter. But he was a runner. He enjoyed running, and now, more than ever, he was going to put that desire to the test.

The trees blurred past Shizuo in shades of brown. A cloud of snow followed in his wake. His claws dug into the ground to propel himself further. He couldn’t be stopped. He couldn’t let himself stop. He couldn’t hear the men behind him, but that didn’t change the danger he was in. He had to run. Faster. Father. He couldn’t take a break.

He had wished his body had the same determination as his will. His hind leg all but demanded he come to a halt. The arrows were digging in painfully, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. Shizuo began limping as he whimpered in pain.

The blond made tracks leading to the left. He then stopped, walked backwards in the tracks he made, and leaped behind a bush to his right. As gently as he could, he put Izaya down in the snow. The raven’s eyes were hooded, his face peaceful. If Shizuo didn’t know any better, he would say his lovely vampire was nothing more than a corpse. The blond was upset that this was the second time he had seen such an expression on Izaya’s face.

Shizuo stepped away from Izaya. Quickly, he imagined his human form—pale flesh, brown roots with blond-tipped hair, brown eyes. He let out a painful groan as his bones popped once again. The pain wasn’t as intense as his transformation into the beast, but it still hurt all the same. His bones shrunk within his body, his organs were squeezed back into a compact torso, his cheeks concaved and gave away.

He racked his claws against the ground as the pain reached its peak. The claws tore off to be lodged in the snow. His limbs bent and snapped to straighten into the arms and legs of a human. Shizuo clenched his teeth hard so he wouldn’t howl in pain. The fur on his body fell away in clumps, littering the ground around him.

Finally, the transformation was over. Shizuo, naked as the day he was born, sat hunkered in the snow, panting heavily. He looked up at Izaya for a moment before pushing himself up on shaky arms. His shoulder lit with fire. He cringed.

Shizuo wasted no time with the task at hand.

“Sorry, Izaya.” Shizuo reached for the vampire. He tugged the cloak off the raven. Quickly, he tore the lovely clothes into strips. He raveled one up into a thick wad and shoved it into his own mouth. He then reached back over his shoulder. He gripped the arrow tightly. He didn’t give himself time to hesitate as he pulled. He called out in pain, his scream muffled by the gag, but at least the weapon wasn’t lodged in his body anymore.

He quickly wrapped it, tying strips of cloth under his arm, against his collar bone to cross his chest, and around his ribs. His first aide skills were shabby, but they would do the job good enough.

He cast his attention to his leg. One arrow was in the side of his leg, in the very center of the meat. The other was closer to the knee and further to the surface. He grabbed the one in the center first. He yanked it out harshly. He bound his leg tightly without cutting off circulation. He then grabbed the other arrow. Because of the positioning, he would cause more damage to his muscles if he pulled it out. This one he had to push through. He did not like that. Shizuo tilted his head back before jamming the arrow further into his flesh. The pointed metal tore through to poke out of the other side. With shaky hands, he grabbed the arrowhead and pulled the shaft out. The feathers did _not _feel good going through. Shizuo grabbed another strip of cloth and tied the wound off.

The remainder of the cloak was turned into makeshift shoes. As a werewolf, he had a high body temperature so standing in the snow barefoot wasn’t going to give him frostbite immediately. It would take some time for it to become dangerous for him, but he had a long trek back to Izaya’s manor, so he would need some form of padding. He wrapped his feet up with haste. The shoes he made would last even if he were to run. At the very least, he should be able to make it to Izaya’s place where he can get new clothes.

Shizuo knew he was nowhere close to Izaya’s place. He was still a good four to five hours away. He got a head start and the Holy Order didn’t know where Izaya lived so he had a good chance of making it to the manor before them.

That was _if _any of his church friends weren’t leading the way.

Shizuo felt a deep pain in his heart at the idea of Shiki or Akabayashi leading the hunting party that was no doubly after him.

** _‘I’m a werewolf, after all. I transformed in front of them. There’s…no helping it if they…’_ **

“The tracks lead this way!”

Shizuo jolted.

“They stopped!”

“Well, it’s not like the werewolf flew away! Fan out! Look everywhere!”

Shizuo crawled over to Izaya. He wrapped his arms around the vampire and nestled him close to his chest. He pushed himself back into the bush, letting the snow-covered greenery hide his blond locks and pale skin. He looked over his shoulder. He could barely make out the forms of the soldiers carrying torches through the trees.

** _‘I’ll wait for them to pass and run towards Izaya’s—’_ **

The underbrush rustled in front of him. The blond jolted as he was cascaded in torch light.

Standing before him was Tanaka Tom and Haruya Shiki. The three made eye contact, all sets of eyes stretching wide at the sight of each other. Shizuo hugged Izaya close and flinched back. His brows furrowed with confliction.

** _‘I can’t attack them! But, if I don’t…’_ **

The two priests looked over their shoulder’s hastily. Shiki then reached under his holy robes. Shizuo stiffened. Shizuo knew Shiki always carried a blunderbuss on his hip!

Shiki pulled out a pair of hiking boots.

** _‘Eh?’ _ **

The priest tossed the shoes in front of Shizuo. He then reached up. He unfastened his holy robes. He held the torch out to Tom, who took it, then shrugged off the black clothes. He threw them on top of Shizuo. The blond jolted.

“Run, Shizuo.”

Shizuo’s eyes stretched wide. He pulled the robes off to stared at them in pure shock.

Shiki was wearing a coat underneath his holy robes so he wouldn’t freeze. But there would no doubt be questions as to what happened to his black attire.

“Run!” Tom hissed in a voice barely above a whisper. “We’ll try to lead them the wrong way so hurry and go!”

“You-you’re letting me go? Even though…I’m a—”

“We’ve known for a while you were a werewolf.” Shiki walked over. The priest knelt down and grabbed Shizuo’s damaged leg to look it over. The blond cringed in pain. “We saw you attack Yodojiri’s caravan all those years ago.”

Shizuo jolted. “You-you knew? All the way back—so for the last four years you knew and never said anything?”

“Obviously, we never told Mikiya-sama or Awakusu-sama. But me, Akabayashi, Vorona. We all knew.”

“I knew from the beginning.” Tom glanced to the side. “I saw you trying to transform in the forest after you became a thrall. You said the vampire stole your wolf so I just…put two and two together.”

“You knew from the beginning?”

“Now’s not the time to compare notes." Shiki hissed. "Get dressed and run. Quickly!”

Shizuo jolted. He nodded vigorously before grabbing the shoes. He placed Izaya down in front of him before unfastening the laces. He tugged them on. He tied them off one after the other then grabbed the robes. He put them on, buttoning them up. He grabbed the hood that was attached to the shall and pulled it up on his head to conceal his bright hair.

The blond knelt down and picked Izaya up once again.

“Th-thank you!” Shizuo had tears in his eyes as he looked at his closest companions. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry about this! But I-I had to!”

“We understand. Now go!” Shiki shooed him off.

“Good luck, and God’s speed, Shizuo!” Tom smiled a half-smile at him. “Don’t get caught, alright?”

Shizuo clenched his teeth as a flood of emotions gripped his chest. He closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling and nodded.

The two priests rushed past Shizuo. They went around the bush Shizuo was hiding behind and ran left, diagonally away from where Shizuo had to go.

“Hey, over here!” Shiki called. “There’s blood leading this way!”

The blond heard the men follow after Shiki and Tom.

**_‘Thank you, thank you!’ _**Tears streaked the blonde’s face. **_‘I never got to tell you this, but you really are the closest thing I’ve had to a father, Shiki! I’m sorry I couldn’t cherish you more! Tom-san…God, please protect them! I beg you, God, keep them safe from the villainy of the Holy Order!’_**

Shizuo stood and ran deeper into the forest.

* * *

“Oh my god! What happened?!” Shinra called.

Shizuo didn’t respond, panting heavily. He was standing on shaky legs, his boots soaking the hardwood floor. Izaya was still hugged close to his chest, limp and lifeless. Shinra closed the door to the elegant manor behind the blond.

“Come this way!” Shinra led Shizuo to the closest study room.

In the room sat Celty, Blue, Simon, Dennis, and Kida. Kida stood up immediately.

“What happened?” The dark blond asked.

“It’s a ***huff* *huff* **long story.” Shizuo wheezed. He placed Izaya gently on the table in the center of the room. “He needs hu-human blood. Now. He’s been poisoned. ***huff* **Dead man’s blood.”

“You know he won’t agree with that.” Shinra said. “Sit down. You’re bleeding.”

“Help Izaya first!” Shizuo plopped down in a chair, his chest heaving with his heavy breathes.

“Izaya isn’t going to die from dead man’s blood. You, on the other hand, might die from blood lost. You come first.”

Shizuo growled. But he was too tired to argue. He unbuttoned his holy robes and stripped off the left side only. He pushed down on the cloth over his crotch so the fabric wouldn’t shift. Shinra opened his doctor’s bag and pulled out some scissors. He cut away the makeshift bandages on Shizuo’s shoulder. The werewolf leaned forward so Shinra could see his wound.

“Are these arrow holes?” Shinra asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know if they were dipped in anything?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“This is already getting infected.”

Shizuo felt an inhuman growl rumble in his throat. “Dirty bastards.”

“What happened, Shizuo-san?” A new voice asked.

The group turned to see Ryuugamine Mikado and Sonohara Anri standing in the doorway.

“Your father’s an idiot is what happened.” Shizuo growled. “He tried to burn down the church.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Instantly Blue started to look distraught. “It-it’s because of Lord Hibiya’s death, isn’t it?”

“It no fault of Blue’s!” Simon said in broken Japanese, patting the girl on the back before hugging her. “I-Za-Ya had right know ‘bout brother’s departure.”

“No, it’s fucking Roppi’s fault, the evil bastard.” Shizuo glared at the ground, hands clenched tightly. “He set all of this in motion when he kidnapped Tsukishima.”

“What do you mean?” Mikado tilted his head in confusion.

Shizuo shook his head. “I’ll tell you later. Right—HAH, HAGH!”

Shinra dumped turpentine on the wound. The liquid felt like acid against his injury as it burned away the infectious flesh. Shizuo’s body began to shake in pain and he clenched his teeth to keep himself from screaming.

“Kida-kun,” Shinra started, “go get me a jar of maggots from the basement.”

The dark blond stood.

“We don’t have time for that!” Shizuo called.

“Your wound is infected. We need to let the maggots eat the rotting flesh.”

“We’ll have to do that later. Right now, we need to get everything that’s important and get out of here. The Holy Order won’t be that far behind me by now. They were hunting me the whole way here.”

“You led them straight to us?!” Kida called.

“They would have found this place eventually anyway.” Mikado said calmly. “Father revealed himself as a vampire, so they would eventually try to locate his manor for any servants or family. They’ll promptly burn this place to the ground once they find it.”

“I don’t know how far behind me they were.” Shizuo said.

Celty scribbled on her parchment of paper. She showed it to everyone. _‘Shizuo’s right. We have to leave here quickly.’_

“I need to take care of these wounds at least.” Shinra stated.

“That is fine.” Mikado said. He glanced over at Izaya. “I’ll go check the cellar for any tears Father may have collected. Sonohara-san, can you go find some clothes for Shizuo-san? There should be clothes in his size in the west wing, fourth door on the right. Makes sure to pack enough to last him a week.”

“Yes, of course.” The big-chested girl bowed before dashing out of the room.

“You should feed him blood instead of tears.” Shinra grumbled. “I know vampires can gain substance from any form of human bodily fluid but blood is the most effective.”

“Father will fight us all the way and you know that. At least with tears, he won’t be able to recover quick enough to put up a fight.”

Shinra grumbled but said nothing else as he focused scraping as much dead flesh from Shizuo’s wound as he could.

“Kida-kun, could you go get Celty-san’s head out of Father’s study in the east wing?” Mikado turned to the dark blond. “Also, grab him a week’s worth of clothes as well?”

“Right.” Kida left the room.

“Simon-san, across the ballroom in Father’s chemist room, there’s a safe. The code is 1-3-8. Pull out as many sacks of gold coins as you can.”

“Da!” The huge black man stood and made his way to the door.

“Celty-san, Dennis-san we’re going to need provisions. Go to the kitchen and gather as much wrapped meat and canteens of water as you can.”

The headless woman nodded the stump of her neck. Dennis also nodded. The two dashed out. Mikado followed right behind them.

** _‘He’s really on top of things.’_ **

Shizuo let out a breath of relief as he relaxed in the chair.

In ten minutes, Anri returned first with clothes for Shizuo. Simon was second at fifteen minutes, holding a small crate filled with sacks of gold coins in which he deposited them on the table by Izaya’s feet. At third came Kida in eighteen minutes with a clear container of water that held the disembodied head of a brown-haired woman, along with a stack of black clothes. Dennis and Celty returned at the same time at twenty-five minutes. Both were carrying satchels—no doubt filled with food—and canteens that sloshed with water. Mikado was last, taking thirty-one minutes to get back from the cellar. In the teen’s left hand was a tiny jar of water no taller than his thumb. The label on it read _‘human tears’_.

Shinra finished treating Shizuo’s wounds in thirty-eight minutes. The werewolf breathed a sigh of relief to the stabbing finally being over.

“Are we going to Taiwan, then?” Kida asked.

“No, at least we’re not if we can’t help it.” Mikado stated. “We can’t abandon our mission. We have to save as many innocent people from this Holy Order as we can before we save our own skins. Shizuo-san and my father, on the other hand, are going to Taiwan without question.”

“Like I’m going to leave you lot behind.” Shizuo growled. “I’m sure Izaya would say the same thing.”

“Probably.” Mikado walked over to Shizuo and held the jar of tears out to him. “That’s why, you’re not going to give this to him until you two are out to sea.”

Shizuo’s eyes widened. “If you think—”

“We dedicated ourselves to this mission, Shizuo-san. If we leave, the sanctuary we had created will go unguarded and uncontrolled. You should know better than anyone that the only thing more dangerous than a blood-thirsty monster is a scared one. If we’re not there to guide them, who’s to say they won’t try a stunt like Father did and get themselves killed?”

Shizuo couldn’t respond.

“We have a duty to the Dollars. We can’t leave Japan. Not just yet.”

“…Your father will never agree to this.”

“I know. But I’ll be okay.” Mikado looked over his shoulder.

He walked over to the still raven on the table. No doubt Izaya could still hear everything but the dead man’s blood had him completely paralyzed. Mikado brushed his hand through his father’s hair lovingly.

“If there’s one thing you’ve taught me, it was how to be smarter than my enemies. I won’t die. Not before we meet again. So, once the Holy Order is gone, I hope for your fast return, Father.”

Mikado moved Izaya’s bangs and kissed his pale forehead. The poisoned vampire was quiet.

“Shizuo-san, please protect my father.” Mikado looked at the werewolf. “Keep him safe. And do not allow him to come back to Japan until the Holy Order is permanently disbanded.”

Shizuo’s brows furrowed. He glanced down at the ground, confliction obvious on his face.

“Promise me, Shizuo-san.”

“…I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> And done!  
By the way, in case it wasn't obvious because the title is based of a slightly less heard of classic, it's The Count of Monte Cristo--written by the same guy who wrote The Three Musketeers. It's a story about wrongful imprisonment, escape, and revenge so I thought it fit this story line better than another other classics I know of.  
If it's not obvious at this point, all the titles or muddled versions of classic stories. So if you ever want a hint to the plot for the story, the title should help enough.  
Alright, so that's all that's needed to fill in the blanks of the next chunk for The Wretched Journey.  
I know that there seems to be a lot of information missing, regarding the relationships between Shizuo and the church, Izaya and the church, and Shizu/Iza and the Dollar's crew. BUT DO NOT FRET! Izaya and Shizuo will get their own story once The Wretched Journey is complete! If you're interested in that, stick around until then! :) Honestly, I'm already pretty deep in that story and it's taking every fiber of my being not to post chapters on it. I want to but I can't! I've got to post these in order else it'll muck up everything!  
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to kudos, comment, and all that other junk. Hope to see you in the next one!  
KCK


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